Sun Microsystems Opens RFID Test Center to Help Suppliers Meet Requirements from Wal-Mart
14 January, 2004
category: Contactless
Opening of Texas-Based RFID Test Center Kicks Off 12 Month Countdown to Meet Wal-Mart Compliance Requirements
NEW YORK, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION CONFERENCE, Jan. 12
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – For the top 100 suppliers to Wal-Mart, the first
item on their list of new year’s resolutions likely reads “become RFID
compliant.” To help quell their fears and quickly achieve compliance status,
Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) will soon open the doors to its new,
state-of-the-art RFID Test Center in Dallas, Texas.
The 17,000-square-foot warehouse facility is fully equipped to meet world
standards and the requirements set forth by Wal-Mart for tagging and testing
products at the pallet, case and item levels. The comprehensive list of
programs available to testing suppliers includes a thorough analysis of the
customer manufacturing, warehouse and distribution environments; production of
a full scale product tagging plan; an end-to-end architecture for the
implementation at the customer site; and incorporation of Sun services to
ensure optimal performance of Sun hardware and software.
The tagging and comprehensive analysis of the customers’ products will be
performed on conveyor stations, dock door stations and warehouse forklift
portals. To extend Sun’s efforts worldwide, Sun’s second RFID Test Center is
expected to open within a month in Scotland. Similar to the center located in
Dallas, Texas, this center will allow European-based companies to test their
RFID solutions, and help ensure compliance with regulatory and privacy
standards. Corporations and government agencies around the world recognize
RFID’s potential to cut supply chain costs, increase operational efficiencies,
speed delivery time, and minimize theft and waste.
“We are excited to get started helping suppliers in our RFID Test Center.
Sun has been involved with RFID since the beginning, and we are the first
company to provide Wal-Mart suppliers with a facility and the technical
know-how and expertise to get their RFID implementations done right the first
time,” said Julie Sarbacker, director of the Auto-ID Business Unit at Sun
Microsystems. “Built with the Sun Java Enterprise System and Sun’s RFID
infrastructure software for EPC, our solution is open and standards-based.
We welcome any of Wal-Mart’s suppliers to contact us and get started today.”
The Sun RFID Test Center will be powered by the secure, reliable and
highly scalable Solaris(TM) Operating System using the Sun Java(TM) Enterprise
System Software, an integrated, open software system, and the unique Sun RFID
infrastructure software that features self-healing and provisioning and works
with most Electronic Product Code (EPC) readers. Customers will also be able
to test RFID technology in conjunction with Sun’s Java Enterprise System
Software to smoothly integrate this technology into their existing technology
strategy. Sun’s open and scalable RFID infrastructure software, based on Java
technology, provides robust and seamless integration with every device,
everywhere and every time. This is especially important in environments where
multiple devices such as RFID readers, scanners, or other handheld devices
need to reliably and accurately collect and forward information with minimal
supervision and down time. The Sun platform also facilitates secure and
seamless integration with legacy systems and other best-of-breed enterprise
applications and solutions. Sun Services can team with the suppliers to
provide RFID expertise to ensure that solutions are architected and
implemented to maximize return on investment and minimize total cost of
ownership in the most timely and efficient way.
For more information and to get started in the RFID Test Center today,
visit http://www.sun.com/rfid or email [email protected] .
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision – “The Network Is The
Computer” – has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading
provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the
Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide
Web at http://sun.com .
About Sun Microsystems’ Work With RFID
Sun Microsystems’ industry-leading, standards-based, RFID solution is a
comprehensive end-to-end offering that includes hardware, software, services
and best-in-class partnerships. For over three years Sun has been working to
make RFID technology an extension of web services and a seamless part of
software infrastructure such as the Sun Java Enterprise System. Sun has been a
leading member of and advisor to the MIT Auto-ID Center – the driving force
for Auto-ID standards, and has participated in numerous successful pilots and
deployments. Sun is opening RFID Test Centers around the world to help
companies test their RFID implementations before they invest – from tagging
products, integrating data into back-end systems and sharing this data with
supply chain partners. For more information on Sun’s leading role with RFID
visit http://www.sun.com/rfid . To start testing in a Sun RFID Test Center and
learn how to get the competitive advantage necessary, email
[email protected] today.
NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, and “The Network Is
The Computer” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems,
Inc. in the United States and other countries.
CONTACT: Kim Evans of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-415-762-2270, or
[email protected].